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Protein traffic in eukaryotic cells (current topics in microbiology and immunology, vol. 170)
Volume
323. number
Bioanalytical
3
June 1993
FEBS LETTERS
Applications of Enzymes (Methods of Biochemical Analysis, Vol. 36); edited by Clarence Kricka. Wiley; New York, 1992; xiii + 260 pages. g63.00. ISBN 0-47155880-x.
This monograph is another offering in the highly regarded series, Methods of Biochemical Analysis, which David Glick founded in 1954. Following Glick’s retirement from the editorship three volumes ago, the series is now edited by Clarence Suelter. who has changed its style by restricting the scope of each volume to the coverage of a specific method or the application of a variety of methods to the solution of a specific biological problem. The volume comprises seven chapters on the use of enzymes in bioanalysis. The exploitation of enzymes for bioanalysis is a notable facet of Enzyme Technology, which in turn is an important branch of the currently popular and fashionable field, Biotechnology. The technological prominence of enzymes stems from their ability to catalyze efficiently, specifically and under mild conditions chemical reactions that are of relevance to industry, analytical work etc. Chapter 1 by M.N. Gupta and B. Mattiasson describes the applications of enzymes in analytical chemistry and provides a quite detailed account of immobilization of enzymes. The strategy of enzyme immobilization is being increasingly adopted as it offers some advantages in the use of enzymes. In Chapter 2B. Walter describes the basic features of dry reagent chemistry elements, the multiplicity of scientific disciplines involved in element construction and the use of reflectance photometry in monitoring assays Chapter 3 written by J.-M. Kauffmann and G.G. Guilbault, under the umbrella of Biosensor Technology, presents the history, fundamental principles. fabrication, performance and applications of enzyme electrodes. J.M. Kaguni and L.S. Kaguni. in Chapter 4, review the properties of enzymes used in preparing DNA and RNA probes for hybridization and include reaction conditions typically employed in some considerable detail and examples of experiments generally performed with different probes. The mformation contained in this chapter has no exclusive relevance to the bioanalytical use of enzymes and will be useful to molecular biologists in general. The experimental details given resemble those found in a laboratory manual. In Chapter 5. J.A. Kant discusses restriction enzymes and the use in medicine of restriction fragment-length polymorphisms (produced by restriction enzymes); restriction fragment-length polymorphism is now an extremely powerful tool for studying a number of biomedical problems in genetics, neoplasia and infectious diseases. S. Shiono, Y. Hanazato and M. Nakako, authors of Chapter 6,
and Larry
review enzymically coupled Field Effect Transistors and describe some enzyme-immobilized membrane deposition methods, the photolithographic enzyme-immobilized membrane patterning method developed by them and the performances of some field with an enzyme-immobilized effect transistor biosensors membrane made by this method. They also survey recent applications of an enzymicahy coupled field effect transistor. The final chapter by M.R. Walker, R.A. Stott and G.H.G. Thorpe discusses the options available for labelling antibodies with enzymes, applications of enzyme-labelled antibodies and their relative merits When very high sensitivity in analysis is imperative, enzymes are ideal labels because of their amplification properties. Methods for signal amplification and detection systems are also considered in this chapter. The presentation of material in the monograph is generally well-organized and lucid, but Chapter 1 is a bit difficult to read. References in the Bibliography sections of most of the chapters go as far as 1990/91; in Chapter 2, however, no reference is later than 1988. The book presents several important modern developments in the bioanalytical applications of enzymes rather than a complete survey of the field. This is somewhat disappointing: I would have liked to see, for example. a chapter devoted to a discussion of all or most of the enzymes exploited in bioanalysis with details of the prmciples involved in the analyses. Such a broader coverage would have made the volume an authoritative and comprehensive reference book. Another drawback for the book is its steep price, especially because it does not contain any glossy photographs or diagrams in colour; this works out to approximately 25 pence a page. This probably would be a deterrent to potential individual buyers and restrict the clientele to well-endowed libraries and departments. The positioning of some of the Figures and Tables, which appear in different sections or some way away from where reference is first made to them in the text, may slightly annoy some readers. An extreme example is Figure I on page 186: reference to part (b) of this Figure comes on page 203. There is also an error in the identification of the two parts of this Figure in the legend. Despite the above reservations, this volume is a valuable reference source in a field of increasing importance and interest. T.K. Sundaram
Protein traffic in Eukaryotic Cells (Current Topics in Microbiology Springer-Verlag; Berlin, 1991; vii + 186 pages. This is an excellent book. The publicity statement on the back cover states that ‘Understanding the mechanisms involved in intracellular movement and localization of proteins is a central issue in cell biology’. I may be biased, but I could not agree more. The five chapters in this volume provide uniformly strong, thorough, detailed, well referenced, logical and well structured reviews of their chosen subJect areas. These range from ‘Mitochondrial Protein Import’ (a field already saturated by numerous short review articles, but deserving of, and benefiting
H. Suelter
and Immunology, vol. 170); edited DM 136.00. ISBN 3-540-53631-o.
by R.W.
Compans,
from the ‘m depth’ approach taken by Horwich et al.) through ‘Targeting of Proteins to the Lysosome’ (a chapter. by Suzanne Pfeffer. which starts with some well-characterised. basic oligosaccharide processing and builds to complex discussions of the functions and intracellular trafficking of mannose-6phosphate receptors), ‘Protein Localization and Virus Assembly at Intracellular Membranes’ (wherein Ralph Pettersson provides a brief and lucid introduction to the subject, introducing a selection of diverse viruses, before extensively covering examples 297
Volume
323, number
3
FEBS LETTERS
of virus assembly at a series of different intracellular membranes). ‘Transport of Membrane Proteins to the Cell Surface’ (probably the weakest chapter in the book. since, although it is well written, it is already outdated due to the rate at whtch the extent of our knowledge of the components and mechamsms of this process 1s currently Increasing), and culminating with ‘Protein Sorting in Epithelial Cells’ (which, whilst suffering from some of the practical problems of the previous chapter, manages to provide a commendable and concise review of the subject).
Any book m such a topical area will hold itself hostage to fortune in that significant advances in the held will rapidly make certain sections of the text obsolete. Nowadays, the ‘Trends in...’ and ‘Current Opinions in.. .’ series provide a forum for reviewing specific elements of these rapidly changing areas. This book complements such reviews wtth its more extensive background coverage; any research institute or University library should possess a copy. George Bantmg
Intracellular Protein Degradation; by F.J. Doherty and R.J. Mayer, Oxford University E8.95. ISBN O-19-963293-6. This book is one of the monographs in the ‘In Focus’ series whereby a topic is briefly summarized to give the reader an overview of the area and a feeling for likely new advances. Fergus Doherty and John Mayer have achieved these objectives; the text is clearly written with terms explained in a useful glossary. The 55 pages of text (excluding index and glossary) contam 6 chapters taking the reader from a simple description of the ‘Protein turnover cycle’, through sections devoted to methodology and mechanisms, and finally regulation and the implications of proteolysis in diseased states. Given the size hmitations the coverage is necessarily less than comprehensive, although useful further reading suggestions are listed. The bias is clearly towards protein degradation m mammalian cells and tissues, as bacterial and plant proteolysis are
June 1993
Press: Oxford, 1992; xii + 61 pages.
each given less than one page. However. the ubiqmtin story is well told in terms of Its role as a molecular flag or tag signalhng proteins destined for destruction m most eukaryotic cells. I, and possibly the increasing number of ‘ageing’ biochemists, was pleased to note a section devoted to ageing. As many of us have suggested over the years, with age the intracellular proteolytic apparatus appears to become mcreasingly compromised in its ability to degrade aberrant polypeptides, hence permitting agerelated accumulation of abnormal proteins. However some of us might take issue with the implied suggestion that ageing is a disease.. Nevertheless this book must surely increase interest in lntracellul~r proteolysis, which was untd recently a relatively neglected area of protein biochemistry. A.R. Hipkiss
Molecular and Cellular Approaches to the Control of Proliferation and Differentiation: edited by G.S. Stein and J.B. Lian, Academic Press; San Diego, 1992; xiv + 426 pages. $125.00. This multi-author volume is divided into three approximately equally-sized sections covering the ‘Regulation of Cell Proliferation’ (5 Chapters), the ‘Ceflular, Biochemical and Molecular Parameters of in vitro Model Systems in which Modifications in Cell Growth Control are Functionally Related to the Onset of Differentiation’ (4 Chapters) and ‘Exploring Mechanisms of Control’ (3 Chapters). The stated mtention of the editors was to present a collection of contributions that addressed the “basic mechanisms involved in cell growth control, emphasizing the coupling of proliferation and the progressive expression of several specific cellular phenotypes”. It is in this latter aspect that the weakness of the approach emerges in that, as is so common with multi-authored volumes, the synthesis of informatton derived from a variety of sources is lacking and the level of reiteration of basic concepts and approaches excessive. In short the emphasis could have been rendered more significant by an extension of the two core chapters written by the editors, who it is clear have the breadth of knowledge to produce an integrated text. That sard, the volume contains a wealth of useful Information which is thought provoking and topical. Although the chapters are uneven in style. some being textual reviews with others presentmg
298
experimental detail in the context of a narrower content, they are all clearly presented with comprehensive biblio~raphlc sources being given. Within each section there is a degree of reiteration and overlap between the chapters, but this, m places, ensures that the reader emerges with perhaps a clearer understanding of the commonalities between the systems chosen and the approaches used. Each of the sections is balanced but that dealing with mechanisms, ultimately the most exciting and challenging of the areas of study, was the least extensive and coherent in structure. The section on the regulation of cell proliferation covers the role of growth factors and nuclear protooncogenes in the context of the control of mitotic division, the cell cycle and cell growth. The section on the growthldifferentiation relation examines the commonalities of effecters and mechanisms that are operational in relation to the phenotypic changes characteristic of osteoblasts, myelomonocytlc cells. erythroleukemic cells and melanocytes and represents the essential core of the book, at least for this reader. The section on mechanism of control extends the drscourse on osteoblasts and addresses the involvement of the nuclear matrix m gene expression and the histone modifications associated with chromosome condensation.
323. number
Bioanalytical
3
June 1993
FEBS LETTERS
Applications of Enzymes (Methods of Biochemical Analysis, Vol. 36); edited by Clarence Kricka. Wiley; New York, 1992; xiii + 260 pages. g63.00. ISBN 0-47155880-x.
This monograph is another offering in the highly regarded series, Methods of Biochemical Analysis, which David Glick founded in 1954. Following Glick’s retirement from the editorship three volumes ago, the series is now edited by Clarence Suelter. who has changed its style by restricting the scope of each volume to the coverage of a specific method or the application of a variety of methods to the solution of a specific biological problem. The volume comprises seven chapters on the use of enzymes in bioanalysis. The exploitation of enzymes for bioanalysis is a notable facet of Enzyme Technology, which in turn is an important branch of the currently popular and fashionable field, Biotechnology. The technological prominence of enzymes stems from their ability to catalyze efficiently, specifically and under mild conditions chemical reactions that are of relevance to industry, analytical work etc. Chapter 1 by M.N. Gupta and B. Mattiasson describes the applications of enzymes in analytical chemistry and provides a quite detailed account of immobilization of enzymes. The strategy of enzyme immobilization is being increasingly adopted as it offers some advantages in the use of enzymes. In Chapter 2B. Walter describes the basic features of dry reagent chemistry elements, the multiplicity of scientific disciplines involved in element construction and the use of reflectance photometry in monitoring assays Chapter 3 written by J.-M. Kauffmann and G.G. Guilbault, under the umbrella of Biosensor Technology, presents the history, fundamental principles. fabrication, performance and applications of enzyme electrodes. J.M. Kaguni and L.S. Kaguni. in Chapter 4, review the properties of enzymes used in preparing DNA and RNA probes for hybridization and include reaction conditions typically employed in some considerable detail and examples of experiments generally performed with different probes. The mformation contained in this chapter has no exclusive relevance to the bioanalytical use of enzymes and will be useful to molecular biologists in general. The experimental details given resemble those found in a laboratory manual. In Chapter 5. J.A. Kant discusses restriction enzymes and the use in medicine of restriction fragment-length polymorphisms (produced by restriction enzymes); restriction fragment-length polymorphism is now an extremely powerful tool for studying a number of biomedical problems in genetics, neoplasia and infectious diseases. S. Shiono, Y. Hanazato and M. Nakako, authors of Chapter 6,
and Larry
review enzymically coupled Field Effect Transistors and describe some enzyme-immobilized membrane deposition methods, the photolithographic enzyme-immobilized membrane patterning method developed by them and the performances of some field with an enzyme-immobilized effect transistor biosensors membrane made by this method. They also survey recent applications of an enzymicahy coupled field effect transistor. The final chapter by M.R. Walker, R.A. Stott and G.H.G. Thorpe discusses the options available for labelling antibodies with enzymes, applications of enzyme-labelled antibodies and their relative merits When very high sensitivity in analysis is imperative, enzymes are ideal labels because of their amplification properties. Methods for signal amplification and detection systems are also considered in this chapter. The presentation of material in the monograph is generally well-organized and lucid, but Chapter 1 is a bit difficult to read. References in the Bibliography sections of most of the chapters go as far as 1990/91; in Chapter 2, however, no reference is later than 1988. The book presents several important modern developments in the bioanalytical applications of enzymes rather than a complete survey of the field. This is somewhat disappointing: I would have liked to see, for example. a chapter devoted to a discussion of all or most of the enzymes exploited in bioanalysis with details of the prmciples involved in the analyses. Such a broader coverage would have made the volume an authoritative and comprehensive reference book. Another drawback for the book is its steep price, especially because it does not contain any glossy photographs or diagrams in colour; this works out to approximately 25 pence a page. This probably would be a deterrent to potential individual buyers and restrict the clientele to well-endowed libraries and departments. The positioning of some of the Figures and Tables, which appear in different sections or some way away from where reference is first made to them in the text, may slightly annoy some readers. An extreme example is Figure I on page 186: reference to part (b) of this Figure comes on page 203. There is also an error in the identification of the two parts of this Figure in the legend. Despite the above reservations, this volume is a valuable reference source in a field of increasing importance and interest. T.K. Sundaram
Protein traffic in Eukaryotic Cells (Current Topics in Microbiology Springer-Verlag; Berlin, 1991; vii + 186 pages. This is an excellent book. The publicity statement on the back cover states that ‘Understanding the mechanisms involved in intracellular movement and localization of proteins is a central issue in cell biology’. I may be biased, but I could not agree more. The five chapters in this volume provide uniformly strong, thorough, detailed, well referenced, logical and well structured reviews of their chosen subJect areas. These range from ‘Mitochondrial Protein Import’ (a field already saturated by numerous short review articles, but deserving of, and benefiting
H. Suelter
and Immunology, vol. 170); edited DM 136.00. ISBN 3-540-53631-o.
by R.W.
Compans,
from the ‘m depth’ approach taken by Horwich et al.) through ‘Targeting of Proteins to the Lysosome’ (a chapter. by Suzanne Pfeffer. which starts with some well-characterised. basic oligosaccharide processing and builds to complex discussions of the functions and intracellular trafficking of mannose-6phosphate receptors), ‘Protein Localization and Virus Assembly at Intracellular Membranes’ (wherein Ralph Pettersson provides a brief and lucid introduction to the subject, introducing a selection of diverse viruses, before extensively covering examples 297
Volume
323, number
3
FEBS LETTERS
of virus assembly at a series of different intracellular membranes). ‘Transport of Membrane Proteins to the Cell Surface’ (probably the weakest chapter in the book. since, although it is well written, it is already outdated due to the rate at whtch the extent of our knowledge of the components and mechamsms of this process 1s currently Increasing), and culminating with ‘Protein Sorting in Epithelial Cells’ (which, whilst suffering from some of the practical problems of the previous chapter, manages to provide a commendable and concise review of the subject).
Any book m such a topical area will hold itself hostage to fortune in that significant advances in the held will rapidly make certain sections of the text obsolete. Nowadays, the ‘Trends in...’ and ‘Current Opinions in.. .’ series provide a forum for reviewing specific elements of these rapidly changing areas. This book complements such reviews wtth its more extensive background coverage; any research institute or University library should possess a copy. George Bantmg
Intracellular Protein Degradation; by F.J. Doherty and R.J. Mayer, Oxford University E8.95. ISBN O-19-963293-6. This book is one of the monographs in the ‘In Focus’ series whereby a topic is briefly summarized to give the reader an overview of the area and a feeling for likely new advances. Fergus Doherty and John Mayer have achieved these objectives; the text is clearly written with terms explained in a useful glossary. The 55 pages of text (excluding index and glossary) contam 6 chapters taking the reader from a simple description of the ‘Protein turnover cycle’, through sections devoted to methodology and mechanisms, and finally regulation and the implications of proteolysis in diseased states. Given the size hmitations the coverage is necessarily less than comprehensive, although useful further reading suggestions are listed. The bias is clearly towards protein degradation m mammalian cells and tissues, as bacterial and plant proteolysis are
June 1993
Press: Oxford, 1992; xii + 61 pages.
each given less than one page. However. the ubiqmtin story is well told in terms of Its role as a molecular flag or tag signalhng proteins destined for destruction m most eukaryotic cells. I, and possibly the increasing number of ‘ageing’ biochemists, was pleased to note a section devoted to ageing. As many of us have suggested over the years, with age the intracellular proteolytic apparatus appears to become mcreasingly compromised in its ability to degrade aberrant polypeptides, hence permitting agerelated accumulation of abnormal proteins. However some of us might take issue with the implied suggestion that ageing is a disease.. Nevertheless this book must surely increase interest in lntracellul~r proteolysis, which was untd recently a relatively neglected area of protein biochemistry. A.R. Hipkiss
Molecular and Cellular Approaches to the Control of Proliferation and Differentiation: edited by G.S. Stein and J.B. Lian, Academic Press; San Diego, 1992; xiv + 426 pages. $125.00. This multi-author volume is divided into three approximately equally-sized sections covering the ‘Regulation of Cell Proliferation’ (5 Chapters), the ‘Ceflular, Biochemical and Molecular Parameters of in vitro Model Systems in which Modifications in Cell Growth Control are Functionally Related to the Onset of Differentiation’ (4 Chapters) and ‘Exploring Mechanisms of Control’ (3 Chapters). The stated mtention of the editors was to present a collection of contributions that addressed the “basic mechanisms involved in cell growth control, emphasizing the coupling of proliferation and the progressive expression of several specific cellular phenotypes”. It is in this latter aspect that the weakness of the approach emerges in that, as is so common with multi-authored volumes, the synthesis of informatton derived from a variety of sources is lacking and the level of reiteration of basic concepts and approaches excessive. In short the emphasis could have been rendered more significant by an extension of the two core chapters written by the editors, who it is clear have the breadth of knowledge to produce an integrated text. That sard, the volume contains a wealth of useful Information which is thought provoking and topical. Although the chapters are uneven in style. some being textual reviews with others presentmg
298
experimental detail in the context of a narrower content, they are all clearly presented with comprehensive biblio~raphlc sources being given. Within each section there is a degree of reiteration and overlap between the chapters, but this, m places, ensures that the reader emerges with perhaps a clearer understanding of the commonalities between the systems chosen and the approaches used. Each of the sections is balanced but that dealing with mechanisms, ultimately the most exciting and challenging of the areas of study, was the least extensive and coherent in structure. The section on the regulation of cell proliferation covers the role of growth factors and nuclear protooncogenes in the context of the control of mitotic division, the cell cycle and cell growth. The section on the growthldifferentiation relation examines the commonalities of effecters and mechanisms that are operational in relation to the phenotypic changes characteristic of osteoblasts, myelomonocytlc cells. erythroleukemic cells and melanocytes and represents the essential core of the book, at least for this reader. The section on mechanism of control extends the drscourse on osteoblasts and addresses the involvement of the nuclear matrix m gene expression and the histone modifications associated with chromosome condensation.